Method and system for implementing URL scheme proxies on a computer system

ABSTRACT

A method and system for implementing URL scheme proxies. Embodiments of the invention allow URL schemes that are not natively supported by a computer to be supported via proxy, e.g., using a URL scheme that is native to the computer to forward the non-native transport. More specifically, embodiments of the invention allow a first computer system to support a first URL scheme by encapsulating its transport information into another URL scheme that is natively supported by the first computer. The encapsulated information is then forwarded to a second computer system or server which can provide support for the first URL scheme transport. For instance, if the first computer supports http but does not support ftp, then an ftp transport can be encapsulated inside an http transport and then forwarded to an ftp server which can then extract and process the ftp transport. The ftp response can be handled in an analogous fashion. The invention increases the native URL scheme capabilities of a computer system by proxy. In one embodiment, a system registry is used in order to determine which helper code to use for a particular URL scheme. The selection of helper code and whether native or proxy support is selected are tasks that are transparent to the application. The invention can allow a device with no Internet access to act, transparently, as if it has Internet access.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. patent Ser.No. 09/814,530 entitled “Method And System For Implementing URL SchemeProxies On A Computer System,” by Peacock, filed on Mar. 21, 2001, whichis incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of electronic communicationand data processing. More specifically, embodiments of the presentinvention relate to expanding communication schemes natively supportedby a computer system.

2. Related Art

As the components required to build a computer system have reduced insize, new categories of portable electronic devices and computer systemshave emerged. One of the new categories of computer systems is the“palmtop” computer system. A palmtop computer system is a computer thatis small enough to be held in the hand of a user and can therefore be“palm-sized.” Most palmtop computer systems are used to implementvarious Personal Information Management (PIM) applications such as anaddress book, a daily organizer (calendar, datebook, etc.) andelectronic notepads, to name a few. Palmtop computers with PIM softwarehave been know as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Many PDAs have asmall and flat display screen associated therewith. Moreover, PDAs andcell phones are being integrated together resulting in a singleintelligent device that provides wireless communication capability.

User convenience and device value are very important factors forportable electronic devices and systems that may include portableelectronic devices. Typically, portable electronic devices are employedwhile the user is on the run, e.g., in business meetings, on businesstravel, personal travel, in a vehicle, on foot, etc. Because the usermay be occupied or busy while using the portable electronic device, thenumber of user steps or user tasks required in order to accessinformation from an electronic device (or to store information into theelectronic device) is crucial for producing a commercially successfuland useful product. That is, the more difficult it is to access datafrom an electronic device, the less likely the user will perform thosetasks to obtain the information. Likewise, the easier information is toobtain, the more likely the portable electronic device will be used toobtain that information and the more likely the portable electronicdevice will become a part of the user's everyday activities. Similarly,the more useful the device, the more the device will be used andacquired.

The rapid penetration of portable electronic devices into the home andbusiness markets has augmented, not replaced, the usefulness of desktop,laptop and server computer systems. As a result, it is not uncommon fora single user to have a portable electronic device which may beconnected to one or more other computer systems and/or servers, e.g., bywireless connections or over the Internet.

A scheme in a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the part that specifiesthe type of URL data that follows thereby specifying a particulartransport mechanism to use for the communication. The scheme isseparated from the rest of the URL by a colon. A program, such as a webbrowser software application, that handles the URL format will look fora scheme at the start of a URL. If the web browser software applicationknows how to handle that scheme, it will pass the rest of the URL off tosome other routine that knows how to handle that particular scheme. Theother routine then performs the transport.

Typical schemes are “http:” and “ftp:”. If an application running on adevice does not recognize a particular scheme, it may allow othercomputer-resident “helper applications” which are registered with theapplication to handle other schemes. In this case, the device isproviding native support for the ftp, it is just using anotherdevice-resident helper application, besides the first application, toprocess it. As an example, a browser application could allow an ftpprogram to be registered to handle the “ftp:” scheme. However, thisprior art approach requires that the ftp program must already be loadedon the device and be registered with the browser application. In effect,this prior art approach merely provides device-native support for theURL schemes.

A robust Internet application, developed in view of the device-nativeprior art approach above, should be able to handle most of the URLs itreceives. This requires that support for all URL schemes must beavailable within the application or natively via registered helpers onthe device. However, hand-held devices have limited storage and limitednetwork access capabilities. This complicates the process of keepingthem updated with all the appropriate helper applications. The memoryand processing resource constraints placed on hand-held devices make theabove “device-native” approach an unsatisfactory solution to the problemof expanding the URL scheme processing capabilities of hand-helddevices.

In addition, wireless network access is also more expensive than desktopaccess, so a user way want to use a desktop network solution even if thedevice can support the scheme natively. It would be advantageous toprovide a solution that addresses the above concern.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, what is needed is a method and system for expanding the URLscheme processing capabilities of a computer system. What is neededfurther is a method and system for expanding the URL scheme processingcapabilities of a hand-held computer system. What is yet needed is amethod and system for expanding the URL scheme processing capabilitiesof a hand-held computer system that efficiently utilizes the constrainedmemory and processing resources of typical hand-held computer systems.What is further needed is a method and system that provides native andnon-native support for URL schemes such as http, ftp, email, and others,for a hand-held computer system. It is appreciated that embodiments ofthe present invention provide the above advantages and others notspecifically mentioned above but described in the sections to follow.

A method and system are described herein for implementing URL schemeproxies. Embodiments of the invention allow URL schemes that are notnatively supported by a computer to be supported via proxy, e.g., usinga URL scheme that is native to the computer to forward the non-nativetransport. More specifically, embodiments of the invention allow a firstcomputer system to support a first URL scheme by encapsulating itstransport information into another URL scheme that is natively supportedby the first computer. The encapsulated information is then forwarded toa second computer system or server which can provide support for thefirst URL scheme transport.

For instance, if the first computer supports http but does not supportftp, then an ftp transport can be encapsulated inside an http transportand then forwarded to an ftp server which can then extract and processthe ftp transport. The ftp response can be handled in an analogousfashion. The invention increases the native URL scheme capabilities of acomputer system by proxy. In one embodiment, a system registry is usedin order to determine which helper code to use for a particular URLscheme. The selection of helper code and whether native or proxy supportis selected are tasks that are transparent to the application. Theinvention can allow a device with no Internet access to act,transparently, as if it has Internet access.

More specifically, an embodiment of the present invention includes acomputer system having a processor and a memory unit and comprising: amemory resident system registry having registered therein informationregarding a plurality of URL schemes and associated helper code forimplementing URL schemes and wherein a first URL scheme is nativelyimplemented and wherein a second URL scheme is implemented by proxy, theproxy being the first URL scheme; an application for requesting acommunication of the second URL scheme; and a system task for indexingthe system registry in response to the request and for determining thatthe first URL scheme is a proxy for the second URL scheme; the systemtask also for encapsulating the communication of the second URL schemeinto a proxy communication of the first. URL scheme; and the system taskalso for forwarding the proxy communication to a second device thatnatively implements the second URL scheme.

Embodiments also include the above and wherein the second device is forreceiving and unpacking the proxy communication to obtain thecommunication of the second URL scheme; the second device for processingthe communication; and the second device for generating a response tothe first device, the response being encapsulated into a communicationof the first URL scheme.

Embodiments include the above and wherein the first device is a personaldigital assistant or wherein the second device is a web hosted server orwherein the first URL scheme is a hot sync scheme or wherein the secondURL scheme is an http scheme or wherein the second URL scheme is anemail scheme.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is system illustration of a palmtop or “palm sized” computersystem connected to other computer systems and the Internet.

FIG. 2A is a top side perspective view of an exemplary portable, e.g.,palmtop, computer system.

FIG. 2B is a bottom side perspective view of the exemplary portable,e.g., palmtop, computer system of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3 is a perspective top view of another embodiment of the exemplaryportable, e.g., palmtop, computer system.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cradle device for connecting aportable, e.g., palmtop, computer system to other systems via acommunication interface.

FIG. 5 is a logical block diagram of an exemplary portable, e.g.,palmtop, computer system in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary communication system in whichembodiments of the present invention may be practiced.

FIG. 7A is an illustration of one implementation of the presentinvention having an ftp transport encapsulated using a native httptransport mechanism.

FIG. 7B is a data diagram of an exemplary system registry correspondingto the implementation of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A is an illustration of an implementation of the present inventionhaving an http transport encapsulated using a native hot sync transportmechanism.

FIG. 8B is a data diagram of an exemplary system registry correspondingto the implementation of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9A is an illustration of an implementation of the present inventionhaving an email transport encapsulated using a native hot sync transportmechanism.

FIG. 9B is a data diagram of an exemplary system registry correspondingto the implementation of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10A is an illustration of an implementation of the presentinvention having an http transport encapsulated using a native bluetoothtransport mechanism.

FIG. 10B is a data diagram of an exemplary system registry correspondingto the implementation of FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a process in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description of the present invention, a methodand system for expanding the URL schemes supported by a computer usingURL scheme proxies, numerous specific details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, itwill be recognized by one skilled in the art that the present inventionmay be practiced without these specific details or with equivalentsthereof. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components,and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarilyobscure aspects of the present invention.

NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE

Some portions of the detailed descriptions which follow (e.g., process600) are presented in terms of procedures, steps, logic blocks,processing, and other symbolic representations of operations on databits that can be performed on computer memory. These descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. A procedure, computer executed step, logicblock, process, etc., is here, and generally, conceived to be aself-consistent sequence of steps or instructions leading to a desiredresult. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physicalquantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take theform of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a computersystem. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons ofcommon usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present invention,discussions utilizing terms such as “checking,” “accessing” or“processing” or “computing” or “suspending” or “resuming” or“translating” or “calculating” or “determining” or “scrolling” or“displaying” or “recognizing” or “executing” or the like, refer to theaction and processes of a computer system, or similar electroniccomputing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented asphysical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registersand memories into other data similarly represented as physicalquantities within the computer system memories or registers or othersuch information storage, transmission or display devices.

Exemplary Palmtop Computer System Platform

The processes of the present invention described herein are applicableto communication between electronic devices which may include computersystems, portable computer systems, cell phones, pagers, etc. Someportable computer systems called personal digital assistants (PDAs) arehand-held. Although applicable across a wide variety of platforms anddevices, an embodiment of the present invention is described herein byexample with respect to an exemplary portable or mobile computer system,e.g., a PDA.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary networked system 50 that can be used inconjunction with an embodiment of the present invention. System 50 isexemplary only and comprises a host computer system 56 which can eitherbe a desktop unit as shown, or, alternatively, can be a laptop system58. Optionally, one or more host computer systems can be used withinsystem 50. Host computer systems 58 and 56 are shown connected to acommunication bus 54, which in one embodiment can be a serialcommunication bus, but could be of any of a number of well knowndesigns, e.g., a parallel bus, Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN), etc.Optionally, bus 54 (or a separate communication channel) can providecommunication with the Internet 52 using a number of well knownprotocols.

Importantly, a communication link is also coupled to a cradle 60 (orcable dock) for receiving and initiating communication with an exemplarypalmtop (“palm-sized”) portable computer system 100 over line 265.Cradle 60 provides an electrical and mechanical communication interfacebetween the computer system 100 for two way communications. In oneembodiment, the communication link including cradle 60 and line 265 is aserial communication link or can be a USB link. Computer system 100 mayalso contain a wireless infrared communication mechanism 64 for sendingand receiving information to or from other devices. As discussed morefully below, computer system 100 also contains one or more otherwireless communication mechanisms, e.g., cellular phone, Bluetoothand/or wireless LAN (e.g., IEEE 802.11), for instance, all of which canbe used to establish the communication link between the portablecomputer system 100 and the host computer system or with the Internetdirectly 66.

FIG. 2A is a perspective illustration of the top face 100 a of oneembodiment of the palmtop computer system. The top face 110 a contains adisplay screen 105 surrounded by a bezel or cover. A removable stylus 80is also shown. The display screen 105 contains a transparent touchscreen (digitizer) able to register contact between the screen and thetip of the stylus 80. The stylus 80 can be of any material to makecontact with the screen 105. As shown in FIG. 2A, the stylus 80 isinserted into a receiving slot or rail 350. Slot or rail 350 acts tohold the stylus when the computer system 100 a is not in use. Slot orrail 350 may contain switching devices for automatically powering downand automatically power up computer system 100 a based on the positionof the stylus 80. The top face 100 a also contains one or more dedicatedand/or programmable buttons 75 for selecting information and causing thecomputer system to implement functions. Other buttons (icons) can beimplemented within a silk screen layer material 84 on which regions 106a and 106 b reside. An exemplary on/off button 95 is also shown.

FIG. 2A also illustrates a handwriting recognition pad or “digitizer”containing two regions 106 a and 106 b. Region 106 a is for the drawingof alpha characters therein for automatic recognition (and generally notused for recognizing numeric characters) and region 106 b is for thedrawing of numeric characters therein for automatic recognition (andgenerally not used for recognizing numeric characters). The stylus 80 isused for stroking a character within one of the regions 106 a and 106 b.The stroke information is then fed to an internal processor forautomatic character recognition. Once characters are recognized, theyare typically displayed on the screen 105 for verification and/ormodification.

The digitizer 160 records both the (x, y) coordinate value of thecurrent location of the stylus and also simultaneously records thepressure that the stylus exerts on the face of the digitizer pad. Thecoordinate values (spatial information) and pressure data are thenoutput on separate channels for sampling by the processor 101 (FIG. 6).In one implementation, there are roughly 256 different discrete levelsof pressure that can be detected by the digitizer 106. Since thedigitizer's channels are sampled serially by the processor, the strokespatial data are sampled “pseudo” simultaneously with the associatedpressure data. The sampled data is then stored in a memory by theprocessor 101 (FIG. 6) for later analysis.

FIG. 2B illustrates the bottom side 100 b of one embodiment of thepalmtop computer system. An optional extendible antenna 85 is shown andalso a battery storage compartment door 90 is shown. A communicationinterface 108 is also shown. In one embodiment of the present invention,the serial communication interface 108 is a serial communication port,but could also alternatively be of any of a number of well knowncommunication standards and protocols, e.g., parallel, SCSI, Firewire(IEEE 1394), Ethernet, etc. In FIG. 2B is also shown the stylusreceiving slot or rail 350.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front perspective view of another implementation100 c of the palmtop computer system. As shown, the flat central area iscomposed of a display screen area 105 and a thin silk screen layermaterial portion 84. Typically, the silk screen layer material portion84 is opaque and may contain icons, buttons, images, etc., graphicallyprinted thereon in addition to regions 106 a and 106 b. The displayscreen area 105 and portion 84 are disposed over a digitizer.

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of one embodiment of the cradle 60for receiving the palmtop computer system 100. In other embodiments,cradle 60 is not a stand-up device but is rather part of a cableconnection between the palmtop computer system 100 and the desk topunit. Cradle 60 contains a mechanical and electrical interface 260 forinterfacing with serial connection 108 (FIG. 3B) of computer system 100when system 100 is slid into the cradle 60 in an upright position.Alternatively, a USB connection could be used. Once inserted, button 270may be pressed to initiate two way communication between system 100 andother computer systems coupled to serial communication 265.

FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary circuitry of portable computer system 100.Computer system 100 includes an address/data bus 99 for communicatinginformation, a central processor 101 coupled with the bus 99 forprocessing information and instructions, a volatile memory 102 (e.g.,random access memory RAM) coupled with the bus 99 for storinginformation and instructions for the central processor 101 and anon-volatile memory 103 (e.g., read only memory ROM) coupled with thebus 99 for storing static information and instructions for the processor101. Computer system 110 also includes an optional data storage device104 (e.g., thin profile removable memory) coupled with the bus 99 forstoring information and instructions. Device 104 can be removable. Asdescribed above, system 100 also contains a display device 105 coupledto the bus 99 for displaying information to the computer user.

Also included in computer system 100 of FIG. 5 is an alphanumeric inputdevice 106 which in one implementation is a handwriting recognition pad(“digitizer”) having regions 106 a and 106 b (FIG. 2A), for instance.Device 106 can communicate information (spatial data and pressure data)and command selections to the central processor 101.

System 110 also includes an optional cursor control or directing device107 coupled to the bus for communicating user input information andcommand selections to the central processor 101. In one implementation,device 107 is a touch screen device (also a digitizer) incorporated withscreen 105. Device 107 is capable of registering a position on thescreen 105 where the stylus makes contact and the pressure of thecontact. The digitizer can be implemented using well known devices, forinstance, using the ADS-7846 device by Burr-Brown that provides separatechannels for spatial stroke information and pressure information.

The display device 105 utilized with the computer system 100 may be aliquid crystal device, cathode ray tube (CRT), field emission device(FED, also called flat panel CRT) or other display device suitable forcreating graphic images and alphanumeric characters recognizable to theuser. Any of a number of display technologies can be used, e.g., LCD,FED, plasma, etc., for the flat panel display 105. In one embodiment,the display 105 is a flat panel multi-mode display capable of bothmonochrome and color display modes.

Signal communication device 108, also coupled to bus 99, can be a serialport (or USB port) for communicating with the cradle 60. In addition todevice 108, wireless communication links can be established between thedevice 100 and a host computer system (or another portable computersystem) using a Bluetooth wireless device 360, an infrared device 355,or a GSM radio device 240. Device 100 may also include a wireless modemdevice 240 and/or a wireless radio, e.g., a GSM wireless radio withsupporting chipset. The wireless modem device 240 is coupled tocommunicate with the processor 101 but may not be directly coupled toport 108.

In one implementation, the Mobitex wireless communication system may beused to provide two way communication between system 100 and othernetworked computers and/or the Internet via a proxy server. In otherembodiments, TCP protocol can be used or SMS (Short Message Service) canbe used. System 100 of FIG. 5 may also contain batteries for providingelectrical power. Replaceable cells or rechargeable batteries can beused. Well known electronics may be coupled to the battery to detect itsenergy level and this information can be sampled by the processor 101.

URL Scheme Proxies in Accordance with the Present Invention

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary system 280 in which embodiments of thepresent invention may be performed. System 280 includes a portablecomputer system 100 d, a second computer system or other electronicdevice 286, a desktop computer system 56 and a wireless communicationnetwork 284, e.g., a bluetooth piconet. System 280 also contains aconnection to the Internet 56 and a proxy server 288 located on theInternet. The portable computer system 100 d synchronizes with thedesktop computer 56 so that databases maintained on the systems sharethe same information. The general process and results achieved throughsynchronization, e.g., “hot sync” are described in more detail in thefollowing: U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,202 issued Mar. 10, 1998 by Kucala; U.S.Pat. No. 6,000,000 issued Dec. 7, 1999 by Hawkins et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,832,489 issued Nov. 3, 1998 by Kucala; U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,232 issuedMar. 16, 1999 by Hawkins et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,274 issued Dec.21, 1999 by Hawkins et al., all of which are hereby incorporated hereinby reference.

In the example of FIG. 6, the portable computer system 100 d cancommunicate with the other system 286 via a wireless infrared (IR)communication link. Also, via a wireless bluetooth communication link,the portable computer system 100 d can communicate with the wirelessnetwork 284 which is in communication with the Internet 56 via a proxyserver 288. The desktop computer 56 also provides Internet access viaits Internet access software 282, e.g., a web browser application. It isappreciated that embodiments of the present invention do not require allof the components illustrated in FIG. 6. System 280 is merely exemplaryof the embodiments of the present invention described further below.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B illustrate an example of the URL scheme proxyfunctionality of the present invention. Embodiments of the presentinvention provide URL scheme functionality to a device that the devicemay not possess natively. The extended functionality is provided by“proxy” in the form of forwarding the URL scheme communication toanother device that can perform the communication natively. The processof forwarding the communication is performed transparently to theapplication running on the device and involves a system registry that isstored thereon.

With respect to FIG. 7A, assume the portable computer system 110 d isconnected, over the Internet, to an FTP server 324, as well as otherHTTP services of the Internet. The connection to the Internet can bemade wirelessly as shown in FIG. 6. Special Internet access software 310installed on the portable computer system 100 d is also used. In thisexample, assume that the portable computer system 100 d, whilesupporting the HTTP scheme, does not support the FTP URL scheme.

FIG. 7B illustrates the corresponding system registry 410 a that residesin memory in device 100 d. The system registry 410 a contains aplurality of supported URL schemes, column 420, and the correspondinghelper code, column 430, that is used by the device 100 d to implementthe URL scheme. An identifier of the code can be stored in column 430.As shown in FIG. 7B, the following URL schemes are supported: hot sync,IR, BT (bluetooth), HTTP, FTP, SMS, and Email. The IR can be implementedusing the IrOBEX standard. In this example of FIG. 7B, each of the URLschemes are supported natively, except for the ftp 440 e. That is, coderesides on the device 100 a itself to fully implement each URL scheme,except for the ftp. In this case, the http code is used as a proxy forthe ftp.

The present invention allows one URL scheme to proxy for another. So ifdevice 100 d supports http natively, but not ftp, device 100 d can stillsupport the FTP scheme via http, e.g., by proxy. In accordance with thepresent invention, the http helper code registers itself as supportingftp. For instance, the http helper code is registered in entry 440 e.This means that ftp URLs will be sent to the http code for processing inaccordance with the present invention. The http code will then take theftp URL, encapsulate it, and send it via http to some well know serverservice 324 (FIG. 7A). That service 324 would reside somewhere on theInternet and have the ability to support an FTP URL natively. As shownin FIG. 7A, the ftp communication is encapsulated “[ ]” within an httpURL scheme and sent 320 to the ftp server 324.

The server 324 then extracts the ftp URL and processes it. The result322 is then packaged in an http response and sent back to the callingdevice 100 d. The calling device 100 d then extracts the ftp responsefrom the http response 322 and returns to the Internet application 310with an ftp response. To the application, the entire process istransparent, e.g., it appears as if the ftp request was handlednormally, e.g., natively. This allows a device 100 d with support foronly a simple set of protocols, natively, to act as if it supports muchmore via proxy.

Updates to the protocol can now be made on a central server instead ofon each device. This simplifies the device 100 d and improves support.

One advantage of the URL scheme forwarding process of the presentinvention is that it can allow a device with no Internet access at allto act as if it has Internet access, as shown in the example of FIG. 8Aand FIG. 8B. For instance, a standard palmtop device 100 d with onlyIrOBEX or hotsync connectivity could support Internet connectivity viahttp and ftp URLs. This can be done by allowing the hotsync or IrDAscheme handler to register itself as supporting http and ftp.

Another advantage of the URL scheme forwarding process of the presentinvention is that even if the device natively supports Internet access,it may be preferable for the user to employ the proxy mechanism of thepresent invention for cost and/or performance reasons.

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B utilize hotsync as an example. FIG. 8A illustrates apalmtop computer 100 d coupled to the desktop 56 using a hotsynccommunication link 450/452. The desktop 56 is then connected to an httpserver 453 located on the Internet. As shown in FIG. 8B, thecorresponding system registry 410 b utilizes the hotsync helper code forboth http 440 d and also ftp 440 e and also for hotsync itself 440 a.This means that the hotsync programs will be used to process any URLrequest from an application residing on the device 100 d that involveshotsync, http or ftp.

When an Internet application residing on the device 100 d requests a URLsuch as “http://myserver.com/index.html,” the request is then passed toa hotsync URL handler. Since the hotsync code does not have nativesupport for an http request, it encapsulates this in a packet to bedelivered to the desktop or server at the next synchronization, as shownin 450 of FIG. 8A. When the user next synchronizes their device, therequest is sent to the desktop conduit. The conduit then examines therequest and sees the http URL. The conduit will then process the httpURL which may cause a communication to the http server 453. The desktop56 then sends the results back to the device 100 d, using pathway 452,encapsulated in another hotsync packet. On the device 100 d, theencapsulated result is unwrapped and an http communication is returnedto the calling application.

The result is that a device without http native support or web accesswas able to handle a standard HTTP URL request. The same process can beperformed for ftp URL schemes.

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B utilize another example of providing web contentaccess support to a device 100 d that does not have any natively. FIG.9A illustrates a palmtop computer 100 d coupled to the desktop 56 usingan short message service (SMS) connection link 472. The desktop 56 isthen connected to a web content server 460 located on the Internet or onan Intranet. This may occur using Internet access software 282. As shownin FIG. 9B, the corresponding system registry 410 c utilizes the SMShelper code for both SMS itself 440 f and for HTTP 440 d. This meansthat the SMS programs will be used to process any URL request from anapplication residing on the device 100 d that involves SMS or HTTP (theSMS helper code could also be extended to process FTP URLs alternativelyor in addition to HTTP or web based Email URLs).

When an Internet application residing on the device 100 d requests a URLsuch as “http://myemailaccount.com,” (e.g. some web based content) therequest is then passed to an SMS URL handler. Since the SMS code doesnot have native support for a web based content request, it encapsulatesthis in a packet to be delivered to the desktop or server using SMS, asshown in 472 of FIG. 9A. When the user performs wireless SMScommunication with their device, the request is sent to the desktopconduit. The conduit then examines the request and sees the web basedURL. The conduit will then process the web based URL which may cause acommunication to the web based server 460. The desktop 56 then may sendthe results back to the device 100 d encapsulated in another SMS packet.On the device 100 d, the encapsulated result is unwrapped and a webbased communication is returned to the calling application.

The result is that a device without native support for web based contentaccess (e.g., email) or web access in general was able to handle astandard URL request.

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B utilize an IR example for providing http supportfor a device 100 d. FIG. 10A illustrates a palmtop computer 100 dcoupled to a desktop computer 515, using an IR wireless communicationlink 530 (e.g., OBEX infrared). The computer 515 is then connected to anweb server 510 located on the Internet. As shown in FIG. 10B, thecorresponding system registry 410 d utilizes the IR helper code for bothIR 440 b and also for http 440 d. This means that the IR programs willbe used to process any URL request from an application residing on thedevice 100 d that involves http or IR (and could be extended to processFTP URLs).

When an Internet application residing on the device 100 d requests a URLsuch as “http://myserver.com/index.html,” the request is then passed toan IR URL handler. Since the IR code does not have native support for anhttp request, it encapsulates this in a packet to be delivered to thedesktop computer 515, as shown in 530 of FIG. 10A. The computer 515 thenexamines the request and sees the http URL. The software on the computer515 will then process the http URL which may cause a communication 540to the http server 510. This may involve Internet access software 520.The computer 515 may then send the results back to the device 100 dencapsulated in another IR packet. On the device 100 d, the encapsulatedresult is unwrapped and an http communication is returned to the callingapplication.

The result is that a device without http native support or web accesswas able to handle a standard HTTP URL request.

As one more example, the email communication service could be also beused as a proxy to perform communication involving an HTTP URL. Thisexample can operate similar to that of FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B exceptemail is substituted for IR in the description. The result is that adevice without http native support or web access was able to handle astandard HTTP URL request using email.

FIG. 11 illustrates a computer implemented process 600 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention for realizing URL schemeproxies. Process 600 may be implemented as computer code stored inmemory of device 100 and executed by a processor. At step 610, anapplication resident on the device 100 supplies requests a URL, e.g., bya command to the operating system resident on the device 100 (“the firstcomputer system”).

At step 615, an operating system task receives the URL request from theapplication and indexes the system registry to determine which helpercode to use to process the URL request. The index is performed based onthe scheme identified in the URL request. At this point, the operatingsystem is using the system registry to determine which helper code touse to process the URL request. At step 620, if the helper code providesnative support for the URL request, then step 625 is entered, otherwisestep 630 is entered. At step 625, the native helper code uses theresources located on device 100 d to directly perform the communicationto satisfy the URL request. For instance, a web browser resident on thedevice 100 d is used to request an http URL scheme.

At step 630, a URL scheme proxy is required to satisfy the original URLrequest from the application. The device 100 d uses the helper codeidentified in the system registry to encapsulate the original URLrequest using a natively supported transport. For instance, if http wasnot supported natively by device 100 d, then the operating system atstep 630 would encapsulate the http request in a hotsync transport whichis supported natively.

At step 635 of FIG. 11, the operating system then forwards theencapsulated data from device 100 d to a second computer system orserver system that supports the original URL request. It is appreciatedthat step 630 and 635 may be implemented by the helper code specified bythe system registry. At step 640, the operating system then unpacks theencapsulated communication and retrieves the original URL request andprocesses it. By processing the URL request, at step 640, a response maythen be generated back to device 100 d. After unpacking the response, itis given to the application. The entire URL request processing processis therefore transparent to the application.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method and systemfor expanding the URL schemes supported by a computer using URL schemeproxies, is thus described. While the present invention has beendescribed in particular embodiments, it should be appreciated that thepresent invention should not be construed as limited by suchembodiments, but rather construed according to the below claims.

1. A communication system for electronic devices, comprising: a firstelectronic system comprising a processor associated with a memorywherein said memory comprises an application program and a systemregistry, said system registry having registered therein informationregarding a plurality of URL schemes and associated helper code fortransparently implementing URL schemes and wherein a first URL scheme isnatively implemented and wherein a second URL scheme is implemented byproxy; and a second electronic system communicatively coupled to saidfirst electronic system and for receiving first information forwardedfrom said first electronic system, said first information being of saidfirst URL scheme and having encapsulated therein second informationbeing of said second URL scheme and wherein said second electronicsystem recognizes and processes said second information natively.
 2. Acommunication system for electronic devices, as described in claim 1,wherein said first electronic system is a personal digital assistant. 3.A communication system for electronic devices, as described in claim 1,wherein said first URL scheme is a hot sync scheme.
 4. A communicationsystem for electronic devices, as described in claim 3, wherein saidsecond URL scheme is an http scheme.
 5. A communication system forelectronic devices, as described in claim 3, wherein said second URLscheme is an email scheme.
 6. A communication system for electronicdevices, as described in claim 1, wherein said first URL scheme is anhttp scheme and wherein said second URL scheme is an ftp scheme.
 7. Acommunication method for electronic devices, comprising the steps of: a)maintaining, in a first electronic device, a system registry havingregistered therein information regarding a plurality of URL schemes andassociated helper code for transparently implementing each registeredURL scheme and wherein a first URL scheme is natively implemented andwherein a second URL scheme is implemented by proxy; b) an applicationof said first electronic device requesting a communication of saidsecond URL scheme; c) in response to step b), indexing said systemregistry to determine that said first URL scheme is a proxy for saidsecond URL scheme; d) encapsulating said communication of said secondURL scheme into a proxy communication of said first URL scheme; and e)forwarding said proxy communication to a second electronic device thatnatively implements said second URL scheme.
 8. A method as described inclaim 7, further comprising the steps of: f) said second electronicdevice receiving and unpacking said proxy communication to obtain saidcommunication of said second URL scheme; g) said second electronicdevice processing said communication of said second URL scheme; and h)said second electronic device generating a response to said firstelectronic device, said response being encapsulated into a communicationof said first URL scheme.
 9. A method as described in claim 7, whereinsaid first electronic device is a portable electronic device.
 10. Amethod as described in claim 9, wherein said second electronic device isa web hosted server.
 11. A method as described in claim 7, wherein saidfirst URL scheme is a hot sync scheme.
 12. A method as described inclaim 11, wherein said second URL scheme is an http scheme.
 13. A methodas described in claim 11, wherein said second URL scheme is an emailscheme.
 14. A method as described in claim 7, wherein said first URLscheme is an http scheme and wherein said second URL scheme is an ftpscheme.
 15. An electronic system having a processor and a memory unitand comprising: a memory resident system registry having registeredtherein information regarding a plurality of URL schemes and associatedhelper code for transparently implementing URL schemes and wherein afirst URL scheme is natively implemented and wherein a second URL schemeis implemented by proxy, said proxy being said first URL scheme; anapplication for requesting a communication of said second URL scheme;and a system task for indexing said system registry in response to saidrequest and for determining that said first URL scheme is a proxy forsaid second URL scheme; said system task also for encapsulating saidcommunication of said second URL scheme into a proxy communication ofsaid first URL scheme; and said system task also for forwarding saidproxy communication to a second electronic device that nativelyimplements said second URL scheme.
 16. An electronic system as describedin claim 15, wherein said second electronic device is for receiving andunpacking said proxy communication to obtain said communication of saidsecond URL scheme; said second electronic device for processing saidcommunication; and said second electronic device for generating aresponse to said first electronic device, said response beingencapsulated into a communication of said first URL scheme.
 17. Anelectronic system as described in claim 15, wherein said firstelectronic device is a portable electronic device.
 18. An electronicsystem as described in claim 17, wherein said second electronic deviceis a web hosted server.
 19. An electronic system as described in claim15, wherein said first URL scheme is a hot sync scheme.
 20. Anelectronic system as described in claim 19, wherein said second URLscheme is an http scheme.
 21. An electronic system as described in claim19, wherein said second URL scheme is an email scheme.
 22. An electronicsystem as described in claim 15, wherein said first URL scheme is anhttp scheme and wherein said second URL scheme is an ftp scheme.